


Connections

by cyberdigi



Series: Blue Child [15]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, Ianto Jones (TARDIS) - Freeform, M/M, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-15
Updated: 2013-06-15
Packaged: 2017-12-15 02:49:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyberdigi/pseuds/cyberdigi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack would always be there for the Doctor; Ianto knew this as surely as he knew both of them would do anything for his Mother. Which means saving the Doctor, both for the Doctor, himself, and his Mother, was natural; besides, it was about time he introduced himself to his “uncle”.</p>
<p>Note: I've added my Big Bang art by <a href="http://totally4ryo.livejournal.com/183261.html#cutid1">totally4ryo</a> on LJ</p>
            </blockquote>





	Connections

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline A/N: Technical Moffat establishes that the Doctor visits Craig just few days before his “death” (visit is supposedly starts on the 19th of April, death is 22nd); I’ve chosen to ignore this because it doesn’t really make sense to me as 1. Seems to me Amy and Rory should have been packing if not about to get on a flight already (because on top of transatlantic flight there’s also a bus ride and possible layovers) 2. I find it unbelievable that Amy would not have mentioned she had a fragrance line and was a mini-celebrity (let’s face it, she tells the Doctor just about everything) and 3. The name of the Fragrance and catch phrase make reference to her adventures with the Doctor AFTER his death.
> 
> I generally try to follow the cannon Moffat establishes but this just doesn't make much sense.

[](https://imageshack.com/i/pmc8AGaIj)

[](https://imageshack.com/i/poirwhwnj)

“Amy Pond, Companion, married to Rory Williams, also a Companion; dropped off by the Doctor’s Eleventh regeneration after traveling with him for a period following witnessing his 'death.' Dropped off a week ago, with the Doctor providing a dream home, car, and everything they wanted, at least wanted here on Earth,” Ianto read from the file he was holding as he and his lover and captain, Jack Harkness, pulled the car up to the home of the companions in question.

Jack grimaced in sympathy. “And knowing him he probably didn’t say anything, if he even had an idea yet. As far as they know right now, the Doctor is dead.”

“We are also not to enlighten them; River mentioned she was the one who told them when I sent her a communication and it appears to have caught her at a point in her timeline when she’s ahead of us,” Ianto continued.

“Ah, good old River, of course keeping track of when we are all is such a…mess.”

“Well, shall we go introduce ourselves to the newest members of the 'Left Behind Companions Club?'” Ianto asked with a smile.

Jack smiled back as he answered, “It’s a large club, but we make sure none of the members feel alone.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was late as the Doctor stepped out into Craig’s backyard, where he had parked the TARDIS. He turned to gaze back at the flat he’d just left. 

He had saved the world…again, and cleaned Craig’s flat, but still, his time was up; even for a time traveling alien, tomorrow had to come.

“Running again, Doctor?”

The Doctor snapped around to see a sight he’d never have expected.

“Jack,” the Doctor said with a bit of amazement, seeing his old friend leaning against the side of the TARDIS.

“It’s taken a bit of work to catch up with you; we’ve been trying to for a month and a half.”

The Doctor’s attention was drawn to the young man at Jack’s right sitting with one elbow on his knee.

“And you brought a friend; and you are?” The Doctor paused a moment, staring at the young man, before continuing, “ _What_ are you?”

The young man smiled as he answered, “I am Ianto Jones. As for 'what,' we’ll get to that, as it is it’s taken so long to catch you, and there isn’t much time before 'tomorrow.' Of course, is it really tomorrow for a time traveler, or is it the next day? Or does it come at all?”

The Doctor frowned. “My death is a fixed point. It has to come, and I’ve run from it long enough--for two hundred years.”

“Oh, we know how long you’ve been running, trust me, we’ve been trying to find you awhile,” Jack replied.

Jack’s companion continued, “The events have to happen, and they _could_ cause you’re death, but just because the events happen doesn’t mean you have to _let_ them kill you.”

“What are you two talking about?”

“We were notified about the events about two months ago—well, linearly, for us. Since you decided to make your last day be after your 'death,' it wasn’t, of course, two months from _now_ ; time travel can be so funny. Anyway, since we heard we’ve been working on finding a solution and we think we have one,” Jack said as he radiated pride in his team.

“Why? Why, Jack, after everything, why would you do this?”

Jack smiled sadly, looking at his friend before he responded, “You’re the Doctor, is the short answer, and a universe without the Doctor is a very dark place. But also, Doctor, whether you believe it or not, you are a special person. You take ordinary, boring people and make them extraordinary, make them heroes. When the Earth was stolen should have shown you that. No matter what regeneration, you always make people better; and no matter how you leave us, no matter how long or short our time with you was or how we part ways, we will always remember you and what you taught us and we will _always_ be there for you when you need us.”

The young man, Ianto, looked lovingly at Jack, as Jack finished his speech. What were they to each other?

The Doctor could only stare at his one-time companion and long-time friend before unlocking the TARDIS and saying, “What do you have in mind?”

The Doctor opened the door and waved Jack and Ianto inside.

“Heard of a Teselecta?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jack bounced up the steps before knocking firmly on the door of Amy and Rory, Ianto just a step behind him.

“It’s about time, what were you thinking, leaving—” they heard shouted through the door, “—us like that,” a young redheaded woman trailed off quietly as she opened the door, seeing them.

“Oh, uh, sorry, thought you were someone else,” she continued sheepishly.

“Expecting the Doctor?” Jack replied with a good-natured smile.

The eyes of the woman, Amy, grew hard for a moment before she said, “Who are you and what do you know about the Doctor?”

“Amy, who’s at the door?” A slightly dorkish man, Rory, asked as he came up behind his wife.

“We know quite a bit about him and we mean neither you nor him any harm,” Ianto answered with a calming smile.“If you’d allow us in, ma’am, we’d be happy to explain further.”

Amy all but glared at them for a full minute before stepping quietly aside and motioning them to enter her home.

Ianto smiled as he stepped forward and said, “I’m Ianto Jones, and this is my partner, Captain Jack Harkenss.”

“Thank you, Amy--may I call you Amy? Hello, Rory,” Jack said with a glint in his eye, stepping forward into the house

“Now just a minute, how do you know my name?” Amy asked loudly as she closed the door, “And are you flirting with me? Are you flirting with my _husband_?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“So, what do you think?” Jack asked the Doctor as he leaned against the TARDIS console.

“I’d actually given it a passing thought, but even I can’t operate a Teselecta by myself and I don’t think I could convince its crew to help,” the Doctor replied with a sad shake of his head.

“Who said anything about operating it by yourself?” Jack said with a twinkle in his eye.

Ianto continued where his partner left off, “Our team has been preparing for this since we came up with the idea, it’ll be a stretch with just five of us, but with all our abilities we should be able to manage.”

“That is if you want to go through with this plan, Doctor. This plan gives you a lot of heavy work, and no one is making you save yourself,” Jack said with a slight frown.

The Doctor thought for a moment, thought about all the people he had met in his long life. Out of all of them, Jack was perhaps the one he had hurt the most; he knew that, now. Yet, Jack— brilliant, wonderful Jack—had forgiven him and still came to help. From conman to hero, Jack had evolved so much. The Doctor wondered how much credit he could take for that, and how much was inside Jack all along. It also made him wonder which of them was _more_ of a hero, although he had a feeling he knew what Jack would say to that.

He had had a long life, a long, painful life if it must be said, but there was one thing he could not deny or escape from. There was a reason he always ran.

“Do you want me to pick you up or do you have something else in mind?”

Jack beamed as he said, “Meet us, the TARDIS will have the coordinates and find us.”

“Please don’t tell me you have been flirting with my TARDIS again,” the Doctor sighed.

“Oh no, not me; but you know how much I love the old girl,” Jack said with a wolfish grin.

Ianto continued, “That, I believe, is a long story that we should have time to discuss when you meet us; however, it can be said now that it was the TARDIS who told us of your impending death.”

Around them the TARDIS seemed to pulse with pride and agreement.

The Doctor nodded, bewildered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jack and Ianto sat across from Rory and Amy in the other couples' living room.

For the last several minutes it had been a bit of a staring contest between Amy, glaring daggers, and Jack, staring back with an amused smile, making the occasional flirty remark. Meanwhile, their respective partners sat there—Rory, trying to figure out what was going on, and Ianto, fighting the urge to slap his partner upside the head for childishness.

Finally, when Ianto could no longer take Jack’s games, he elbowed him none-too-gently in the ribs.

“Hey!”

“Enough of that. I swear, one would think this wasn’t _your_ idea.”

“Are you finally going to tell me what’s going on?” Amy demanded.

“Tell _us_ , that is,” her husband corrected.

“Right, us, whatever, what’s going on?”

Jack looked at his lover for assistance in soothing the fiery redhead.

“Don’t look at me, it’s your fault for playing games instead of just getting on with the explanations; now _you_ can fix it,” Ianto said without a hint of remorse for his lover staring down the fiery mother of River Song.

Jack sighed before answering, “I’m sorry for my behavior, I just find sometimes that I can’t help myself.” Jack somehow managed to look both genuinely sorry and mischievous in his apology.

“Ianto already introduced us, but again, I’m Captain Jack Harkness, Director of Torchwood,” he said. He paused for a moment before asking, “I don’t suppose the Doctor mentioned Torchwood?”

Both Amy and Rory shook their head.

“Of course not,” Jack sighed, “Gods forbid he speak of the past unless he has to. Torchwood’s current charter is to protect Earth from alien threat, particularly in Cardiff, where we’re stationed, to deal with the effect of the rift in time and space that’s there.”

“Current charter?” Rory asked.

Ianto answered for his partner, knowing how the couple would likely react if Jack were to tell them what the original charter was; in fact, coming from him would still be a disaster, but at least it wouldn’t look like Jack was being deceitful.

“When Jack took command of the entirety of Torchwood, he changed the charter. The original charter was written by Queen Victoria to,” he paused, “protect the people of the British Empire from any threat from outside of Earth, and to capture the Doctor.”

“YOU’RE HUNTING THE DOCTOR?” Amy demanded, standing to tower over Jack; Rory jumped to his feet seconds later, attempting to calm his wife with a hand on her arm and soft words.

Despite the severity the situation had taken, Ianto had to smile. Amy was definitely protective of the Doctor; no one could doubt she was a Companion.

But regardless, he had to neutralize this threat before Jack reacted rashly. Jack may have tempered with age—well, excluding his habit of childishness at times—but being accused of hurting or trying to hurt someone he cares about, including the Doctor, was still a hot topic for him.

He rose, forcing himself between his now standing lover and Amy.

“With all due respect, I don’t think you were listening. I said Jack was the one who _changed_ the charter that had been around for nearly 150 years, which, until that change, was strictly enforced. He reshaped Torchwood into something the Doctor could be proud of, or at least, that was his hope,” Ianto stated calmly but with just a hint of an edge in his voice.

Amy stood where she was for a moment, still looking puzzled, before returning to her seat, her husband following.

Jack gazed lovingly at Ianto with a smile of thanks as he resumed his seat next to him. Ianto nodded in acknowledgment and looked at him to continue his tale.

Jack took a deep breath before continuing with his long story.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Doctor said goodbye to Craig, accepting his gift of the cowboy hat, and then did what he did best. He went through time and space to find what he needed.

He’d finally met up with the Teselecta, and had asked for their assistance, and then he went to find more information on the Silence. It was then that he almost ran away again; after all, when is tomorrow for a time traveler? His death would mean he could never see Amy and Rory again, or anyone, save for the few who knew about the plan or never knew him to begin with.

But then he tried to call the Brigadier, only to find out that for his old friend, time had moved on and he had passed away. It was the first time he had lost a friend, a Companion, to time.

The one thing you can’t run from is time itself.

So he had continued with the plan.

The TARDIS refused to let him see the coordinates, as if letting him see them would mean they wouldn’t make it in time.

On top of all that, he had forgotten to ask Jack how he had been tracking him and how he could even _get_ to him without his vortex manipulator working and he was _sure_ that it wasn’t working when he last saw him...

He felt the TARDIS land and looked at the screen to see where and when they were: April 21, 2011, Lake Silencio, Utah, United States.

It was the beginning, or maybe the end; either way, it was something.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“So let me get this straight: you’re from the 51st century, a former member of an agency that patrolled time, but you abandoned your post after they took your memories and became a conman during World War II, where you met the Doctor, and then started traveling with him. He then abandoned you after you were revived from death by the TARDIS and his other person traveling with him, “Companion,” as you call it. Now you’re immortal and have been hanging out here fighting bad guys for God knows how long?” Amy asked in disbelief as Jack finished the abbreviated version of his past.

“And you expect us to believe all that? Immortality, really?” Rory asked as well.

Jack sighed; this wasn’t going well. Normally, he wouldn’t go into quite that much detail—his inability to stay dead was a bit of a stretch for someone to believe, even someone who traveled with the Doctor. Not to mention his history in general was fairly colorful for someone from this century. Even a Companion of the Doctor would have difficulty believing his story.

But Amy’s severe distrust of him at the beginning of the conversation meant it was best to lay all his cards on the table, and to go into his time line of the last 150 or so years would make no sense without the information about his inability to stay dead. He felt a knot in his stomach at the thought of having to share that, but there was no helping it. Amy would be on him like a pit bull if she sensed that he was withholding anything; she was on her guard to the extreme and out to protect the Doctor. 

He should have known the mother of River Song was not one be poked at, even in good nature.

“Yep, all true. I’d demonstrate the coming-back-from-the-dead part but it can get messy and Ianto doesn’t like the demonstrations.”

Ianto reached over and placed a hand over his lover’s wrist strap, giving Jack a knowing look before turning to Amy and Rory.

“Would you believe your daughter?” he asked.

Amy and Rory shared a look before Amy said slowly, “We haven’t been married very long, and you can see we don’t have any children here.”

Ianto smiled as he said, “Well, of course she isn’t here. If there is one thing River Song, or Melody Pond, doesn’t seem to do, it's anything chronologically.”

“You know about River?” Rory asked.

Jack grinned as he said, “We have quite a long and complicated history with her, but that seems to be true of most of her relationships.”

Jack held up his wrist with strap attached to his lover so Ianto could send a communication to River somewhere in her timeline that roughly corresponded to them. He could have done it himself, of course, but there was no telling _when_ it would find her in her timeline.

Ianto closed his eyes and, with a few quick button taps, a projection of River was standing before her parents.

“Jack! Ianto! Oh, you’re with Amy and Rory.”

“River, they know you’re their daughter,” Jack explained.

“MOTHER! FATHER! How are you?”

“They were also just left off by the Doctor after various adventures, not the least of which was you regenerating,” Ianto further explained.

“Oh, Oh! I’m sorry to hear that.”

“We’re fine, River, all things considered,” Rory answered his daughter.

“River, this isn’t exactly a social call. I just gave them my background and they don’t quite believe I’ve been around as long as I have.”

“Oh my, that’s unusual for you, dear. Let me guess, you want me to let them know you are telling the truth?”

“That’s what we were hoping,” answered Ianto.

River looked directly at her parents as she explained, “He’s telling the truth. I’ve seen it; the poor dear watches nearly everyone die while he marches on.”

She finished with a sad look.

Rory and Amy could only gape in disbelief at their daughter and the strange men sitting on their couch.

“Well, I must be off; the guards are coming. I’ll see you all soon, just maybe not at the same time. Ta Ta,” River said as she signed off.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jack gazed up at the sky waiting for the Doctor to arrive with the Teselecta.

He was nervous. There was still a chance the Doctor would run again; he was very good at that.

It had surprised him when the Doctor had asked him why he had gone out of his way to save him, and his answer was, while completely truthful, not the _whole_ truth.

He was also saving the Doctor because the Doctor is important to the TARDIS, and that beautiful, wonderful, old-and-yet-still-so-young girl is important not only to him, but to Ianto—she is his mother, after all.

The Doctor does inspire and deserve their unshakable loyalty, just as Jack had told him. But for the TARDIS, he and Ianto would not just walk through hell but also fight off all the evils of the universe to save the Doctor.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“That’s really all true?” Amy asked after a moment of stunned disbelief once River disconnected.

“Yes, all of it,” Jack said sadly.

Ianto moved his hand from Jack’s wrist strap to his lover’s hand and looked back at the stunned couple across from them.

“I hope you appreciate the trust Jack’s shown you; this isn’t normally something he shares even after years of knowing someone. People tend to not react kindly, and depending on one’s profession, might be interested in…experimentation,” Ianto said to them with a slight edge in his voice, squeezing Jack’s hand in reassurance.

“Yes, of course, thank you for your trust. I’m, we’re, sorry we didn’t believe you, or if you felt you had to tell us,” Rory said as Amy nodded in agreement.

Jack nodded at them in acceptance.

“It’s my own fault; I should have explained why we’re here. As much fun as this has been, this isn’t why we came.”

“Why did you come?” asked Amy.

Jack started to answer, then paused, thinking, before starting again.

“Well, actually it kind of _is_ why we came. We wanted to introduce ourselves and talk about the Doctor.”

Amy and Rory shared a look.

“I’m sorry, but what do you mean?” Rory asked.

“I made a decision a number of years ago that I was going to make sure anyone who traveled with the Doctor was…well, taken care of…for want of another way to say it.

“I want to make sure we know we are not alone, we are part of a both small and large club; but we’re spread out through time and space and to find another like us is a rare thing. And no one can understand you like another Companion.

“So I made the decision that I would connect with every one of us I can find, and make sure ALL of the Doctor’s Companions are remembered; it’s the least they deserve.”

“I don’t understand; what is it about traveling with the Doctor, being a Companion, that makes a person so special?” Rory asked.

Ianto looked at his lover with a hint of pride. This mission was important to Jack, as important to him as saving the world; and Jack’s understanding of the consequences of being a Companion, of experiencing all those incredible, unbelievable things, spoke to how long he thought on the subject. He had never traveled with the Doctor, but whenever he heard his lover speak about these feelings he felt an overflowing feeling of love and pride that this beautiful person was _his_.

“You’ve traveled with him, so you know what it’s been like for yourself--and Amy, of course. Being an ordinary person with an ordinary job, then traveling the universe, through time itself, seeing wondrous sights, and helping, saving, people in need. It’s like that for all of us. It changes a person, changes how we see the world; makes us better, makes us something far, far greater than we were. But then it comes to an end, either we leave or he leaves us, and we’re left returning to ordinary lives with ordinary jobs and it can seem like no one else in the world can understand because we’re not those ordinary people anymore. That—that, dear Rory--is why Companions, why both of you, deserve it; and why I decided to do this.”

Rory and Amy nodded, smiling at Jack, understanding exactly what he meant, in a way only someone who had lived that life could understand.

The four talked for hours before Jack and Ianto stood to leave.

As they were about to walk out the door, Jack handed Amy a card.

“Here, that’s my mobile number, Ianto’s, and other contact information in case you need to be in touch.”

“Thank you, Jack,” Amy said before calling out, “Hey, Ianto, I just realized you barely talked about yourself. Doesn’t seem fair we know this one’s full life story and barely any of yours.”

“That I believe, Amelia Pond, is a story for another day,” Ianto called back over his shoulder with a smile.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ianto slowed in his approach of his lover; coming to a stop a bit of a way from Jack.

Jack was staring up contemplatively at the sky; brooding, almost. Even if they hadn’t been together for over 90 years, in one form or another, it wasn’t hard to figure out what was on his lover’s mind.

The Doctor.

He resumed his approach, coming to a stop behind his lover, wrapping his arms around him. It was a position Jack usually favored, except with their positions reversed. However, he knew from experience how comforting it was to be suddenly enveloped from behind by the person you love the most. 

And it was comfort that Jack needed at that moment. The Doctor meant so many different things to him, good and bad, and for Jack, the pain inflicted by the Doctor’s Tenth regeneration still ached, in only the way that someone you love and admire can inflict lasting pain; and then you still love and admire them.

They didn’t really know this new regeneration that well; they had met a future him previously a few times, but nowhere enough to get an idea of what he was like--not really. Still, he seemed very different from his former self. His words to Jack during the whole Dalek issue during World War II was the first proof of that, cryptic as they had been at the time. But after that horrible, non-existent year it had all made sense. And his few other encounters with them further fortified the tentative belief that he was different…better, in some ways.

Jack was conflicted to say the least, but he had his own confused feelings about this encounter.

Mother had asked them to help, as the Doctor had all but given up, and he could deny her nothing if it was in his power. However, this was his first _true_ meeting with the Doctor. This would be the meeting where he would tell him who he was, telling him that his mother was the Doctor’s very own TARDIS.

Hmm….perhaps this is why he and River got along so well.

He was still angry at the Doctor for all the hurt he had caused his lover, but then he had to care about him, even love him to a degree. He was so important to Jack, and he had always thought of him as a sort of uncle.

He sighed. There was such truth in the saying, “you can't pick your family.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Hello, Darling; how’s that Ianto of yours?” River asked as her jailor approached her cell.

“Oh, you know Ianto; always busy with something, mostly keeping me out of trouble,” he replied with a smile as he continued, “The guards said you got a holographic communication and Ianto said it originated in the 21st century…from us. So, I wanted to check on you; if it’s what I think it is, that was not a pleasant time.”

“Jack, you’re such a sweet softy at heart. It was when you contacted me while at my parents,” she said, then paused. “It’s peculiar in a way, I have so many different perspectives on that day at this point: being in the suit, wanting to stop it all; being on the beach, knowing what was happening; now knowing all of it. A hazard of time travel I suppose.”

Jack, the jailor, leaned against the side of the entrance of River’s cell.

“You, and me--out of all the people he’s traveled with, we’re the only ones that have traveled through time independently.” Jack smiled as he continued, “Even if I don’t do it nearly as much as you do anymore. But the others just went on a great adventure with him, maybe not understanding what time travel can really mean for an individual when you truly go all over the place; what it can mean for your relationships with others.”

“Maybe that’s why we’re the ones he goes back to,” River answered.

“Maybe. There are times when I wonder if the three of us were tangled together by fate, with how our personal timelines interconnect and knot together.”

“Maybe, Darling, maybe. After all, I just don’t know what I’d do without you here as well.”

“Have a harder time breaking out,” Jack said with a grin.

“And so much more than that, Darling, so much more; knotted timelines, remember?” River replied with a glint in her eyes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ianto closed his eyes as he felt that unmistakable click inside of him that meant his Mother, with her “pilot,” was materializing.

His lover rushed up to the TARDIS door as the Doctor exited, as if, if he didn’t catch him, the Doctor might run off…which actually might be a possibility.

He felt the light touch of his Mother wanting to speak with him and opened himself to her. Ah, yes, that would make sense; the Doctor _did_ almost run off, but realizing that the Brig had passed away of old age had, for whatever reason, convinced him to carry on with the plan.

“Doctor! Right on time,” Jack exclaimed with his wide, beaming grin. “Let me introduce you to my team.”

As Jack was speaking, Tosh and Owen had come up from where they were camped a short distance away. They were ready for this impossible mission.

“May I introduce Toshiko Sato, our tech genius--give her a piece of tech and she’ll make magic; Owen Harper, doctor extraordinaire; and of course you’ve met Ianto Jones, my second-in-command, who keeps the whole organization running.”

“That is only a slight exaggeration,” Ianto piped in.

“And he looks good in anything,” Jack finished with a slight leer.

“I should have known,” the Doctor said with a roll of his eyes before returning his attention to Tosh.

Jack laughed heartily before sobering and saying, “Doctor, I take it you got the Teselecta?”

“Yes, right here, I have it on auto pilot at the moment,” the Doctor said, guiding a nondescript human figure out of the TARDIS.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like a bit of time to do some scans from the outside of the Teselecta, before we enter and start everything.”

“Excellent, Tosh, I don’t want any surprises; look alive, people I expect your best work! This is for the Doctor.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Jack?” Rory called, jogging out to the street to catch the other man.

Jack turned as he was climbing into their car after saying goodbye to the couple of wayward Companions.

“Need something, Rory?” Jack asked with a smile.

“I, I wanted to say sorry again for how we reacted to your story; how…how insensitive we were.”

Jack looked over his shoulder at Ianto, who had also paused in getting into the car. They shared a look and then Ianto nodded, continuing into the car.

“It’s alright, that's not even the worst reaction I’ve gotten.”

“I really am sorry, though, I…I understand; when we traveled with the Doctor, something…something happened and I waited two thousand years.”

Jack looked at him with tempered surprise.

“I’m surprised you remember that, actually.”

“I…it’s complicated, but I do remember. You know about that?” Rory asked, alarmed.

Jack sighed before answering, “Ianto and I have some of our own memories from that alternate timeline; actually, you probably don’t remember, but we met once in that alternate time, during the Blitz.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember that, I don’t remember everything,” Rory replied a bit sadly.

Jack nodded before continuing, “I understand. Anyway, we also have a…source, a relative of Ianto’s…who gives us everything on the Doctor’s Companions. Everything about their time with him, at least, sometimes more. Then, with our resources, we can find out everything else about the individual--their whole life story, as it were.”

Rory, if anything, looked more alarmed than before.

“That’s a little creepy, actually.”

Jack gave a slightly sad laugh before saying, “It’s not meant to be, or even meant to keep tabs on you or anyone else. Once we make contact we do keep in touch and keep up with what is happening in your life; however, that’s to just stay involved and make sure you know we’re still here if you need us, no more. As for the information on your background…I am going to be alive a _very_ long time, Rory, much longer than any of you. I want to make sure nothing about any of you is lost to time. You are all heroic, brave individuals who deserve to be fully remembered; not just a faint memory, not a legend, but no less than in full Technicolor detail. That’s the least I can do for the Doctor and his Companions and I won’t apologize for that or change it. But I can promise I will cause you no harm with it.”

“I understand, I think, but who will remember you?”

“That would be me.”

Jack and Rory turned around at the new voice in the conversation; Ianto had exited the car and was standing by it.

“I will make sure Jack is remembered and loved,” Ianto said, smiling at his lover and new friend.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Doctor was impressed, Jack’s people were nothing if not through. He’d watched as the young woman almost immediately set to scanning the Teselecta with such efficiency that, were he anyone but himself, he’d be jealous.

He remained staring at the young woman for several minutes; she looked familiar. He knew her from somewhere, he was sure of it...but where could he know her from?

He turned to see the mysterious Ianto Jones sitting on the sandy beach, staring out at the water. It was almost a strange sight, the young man dressed in a fine suit just sitting in the sand.

Jack was busy speaking with the young woman, Toshiko, so he quietly made his way over to them.

“So, do you think we have time for that discussion on 'what are you’? Seems we have plenty of time before the big event tomorrow,” he asked as he sat next to the young man.

Ianto looked at him for a moment before his eyes became unfocused, as if he was looking at something no one else could see.

Was he well? Or does it relate to the “what he was” question?

“I believe, Doctor, we will have plenty of time for many conversations; but you’re right, I do believe that particular answer is well overdue.”

“What do you mean, 'plenty of time'? This plan should take little time once the time does come, so a day at the most should be how long we’re together,” the Doctor responded, puzzled.

“It would seem there is a high possibility, almost definite, in fact, of this plan taking _much_ longer than we all thought,” Ianto replied with a slight smile.

“However, that is still to come.” Ianto continued, “Now we have time for your question; but let me ask you, Doctor, what do you think I am? What do you think when you look at me?”

The Doctor thought a moment, looking at the young man before answering.

“You look human, even vaguely feel human; but there’s something else. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were a Timelord; but even that doesn’t feel quite right. But it still feels…familiar.”

Ianto laughed.

“I should hope that what I am is familiar to you; my Mother has been with you a _very_ long time.”

At the Doctor’s bewildered look, Ianto continued on.

“Come now, Doctor, who has been with you the longest? She even finally got to tell you 'hello.'”

“My _TARDIS_?! What? How? That’s impossible!”

“You should know she can do anything she puts her mind to,” Ianto said with a hint of mischievousness.

In response to the Doctor’s still-stunned expression he continued, “She was at a point when she could give life to a new TARDIS, and all of your Tenth regenerations' companions were there, not to mention your half-human counterpart. She had more than enough human material to make a unique human DNA sequence; and then your Timelord-human counterpart provided what was needed to bind that sequence to the baby TARDIS coral, and be a stable, living entity. Then she just had to wait for the human baby form to be ready. She left me with a kind tailor and his wife in 1900; he helped you out with a Hoix, actually.”

The Doctor thought for a moment before saying, “I remember him. Elis, wasn’t it? He said he and his wife were expecting a baby any day, but how?”

“Their biological son was stillborn,” Ianto replied sadly. “They thought of me as a 'gift from God;' they never actually told me I wasn’t their biological son. All the same, they were good, if old-fashioned, parents by today’s standards. I couldn’t have asked for a better Mam and Tad; but Mother was always there as well to teach me what no human can understand.”

Ianto paused a moment, thinking of his long dead parents and sister before continuing.

“Mother would teach me in my dreams; we actually still communicate that way.”

“She’s been in contact you this _whole_ time?” the Doctor interrupted.

“Yes, of course she has. If I may continue?” Ianto responded. At the Doctor’s nod he continued, “Aside from teaching me, she also told me all about you, and about Jack.”

At the Doctor’s confused expression he explained, “She had hoped Jack and I would find each other and be…well, how did she word it? 'Good for each other,' I believe. We met in 1920 and bonded a few years later, and have been together ever since that day in 1920; and yes, that is together in all ways, Doctor. One thing she wanted me to tell him was what happened on the station when I met him.”

“That’s why he wasn’t surprised when he found me at the end of the Universe and I told him what happened,” the Doctor interrupted with a contemplative tone.

“Yes, he knew the events, but he still had to find you, still had to hear your reasons for leaving from your own mouth,” Ianto replied, his voice taking on a hard edge, showing the Doctor exactly what he thought of _that_ reason.

“I am sorry about that, and it was wrong of me to tell him like I did,” the Doctor said remorsefully.

However, Ianto waved him off.

“That is a different conversation for later; that should include Jack, and besides, we both know what you did to fix that when he found you in World War I. But to return to our previous topic; what I am, Doctor, is a half-TARDIS, half-human individual,” Ianto finished with a smile.

“So if my TARDIS is your mother, what am I?” the Doctor asked with equal parts mischievousness and curiosity.

“Formally? A partial genetic contributor. However, I’ve always thought of you a bit like an uncle you sometimes want to strangle, but you couldn’t do without.”

The Doctor laughed.

“This is all just incredible, simply incredible. I would never have even dreamed it was possible,” the Doctor said, amazed.

Ianto smiled as he said, “Well, Jack just seems to attract the impossible.”

Ianto looked over to where Jack was still talking with Tosh. As his gaze lingered on the other man, Ianto’s expression grew somber.

“He really was hurt you didn’t invite him to your wake, you know.”

“Time travel,” the Doctor said blandly before continuing, “Canton, Amy, Rory, and River had to be invited, because they were there; Jack wasn’t. In fact, he’s here, so for him to be here he couldn’t be there; so he could never be invited since he has to be here.”

Ianto half-glared at the Doctor as he said, “That’s all true, this whole thing has become a bit of a time loop; however, Doctor, did you _ever_ even consider inviting him? Of including the one companion besides River who can most understand you? Even if he couldn’t and shouldn’t be there, did you consider inviting him?”

The Doctor was silent.

Ianto just looked at him as he said, “No, no you didn’t; because you never do. You say you remembered my Tad and I do believe you, I believe you remember _all_ of them. But you never think to include them in your life ever again after you part ways. Even if they are like Jack and have the capabilities to still help you. You just leave them behind; _run_ from them.

“You run because you’d rather leave them behind than watch them leave you forever. But Doctor, even if you try to run from them, some of them won’t let you go so easily and you have their unending loyalty. Maybe, Doctor, it’s time you learned you can trust your Companions, your _friends_ , more.”

Ianto turned his back to the Doctor before the timelord could answer and swiftly made his way to Jack and Tosh.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Two hours later they were all at different stations inside the Teselecta, working out how best to operate the robot to behave just like the Doctor.

“You want me to wear what?” the Doctor demanded—well, everyone else would have said he screeched, but he was the Doctor, he didn’t _screech_.

“This electronic interface will allow you to control the finer motor skills and speech to ensure the Teselecta can pass as you in the flesh. Between all of us we can operate the Teselecta to within functional parameters, but those finer skills would otherwise come off as wooden,” Tosh explained, attempting to hand the Doctor what appeared to be a metallic band large enough to go around a head.

“No. Oh, no. I’m not wearing that; that is _so_ not cool.”

“This whole plan won’t work without it!” Tosh replied.

“Well, can’t you make it look cool at least?”

Tosh just stared at the Doctor in disbelief, before grinning evilly.

“Give me your hat,” she said, reaching for the Doctor’s cowboy hat.

“What? No, a friend gave me this--I said NO!” the Doctor yelped, trying to fight off her reaching hands.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, you can be as big a child as Jack,” Ianto said, coming up behind the Doctor and grabbing the hat and calmly handing it to Tosh who just grinned widely at him.

“Thank you, Ianto.”

Then Tosh dashed off with the hat and electronic interface.

“My hat,” the Doctor pouted.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ianto watched the Doctor slouch forlornly, before turning back to his station; he was far too busy for this.

The strong arms that suddenly wrapped around him should have surprised him, but knowing Jack as he did, it wasn’t a surprise.

They had been so busy, that with the exception of those few minutes on the beach waiting for the Doctor, they hadn’t had much time to themselves, or to talk.

Jack was a creature that needed contact to thrive, so it was no surprise his lover was making time.

“I saw you talking with the Doctor on the beach, how did that go?” Jack whispered in his ear.

“About as well as I thought it would,” Ianto replied, leaning back into Jack’s embrace.

“I’ve missed you,” Jack said as he tightened his hold on his lover just a bit. “We’ve been so busy, between this and preparing for the Royal Wedding; it seems like forever since we’ve had time to talk.”

“Do you mean talk, or _talk_?” Ianto asked mischievously.

Jack laughed quietly.

“I actually meant _talking_ talking; but I guess I do miss the other, too.”

“Oh, Jack, I’ve missed you, too.”

“I don’t know what I would do without you, Ianto, I really don’t. I don’t know who I’d be if you hadn’t been there.”

“Oh, my wonderful, sweet Jack; you would still be the brave man I know, just sadder and maybe lonelier,” Ianto said, pushing himself as closely to his lover as possible. It was true, he could see it behind his eyes, a Jack made distant by loss and loneliness. He could see there would always be an Ianto Jones for Jack Harkness, but many of those would be ordinary human lives, and loss would follow his Captain still. But for them, in this possibility, he was not just human, and would not live an ordinary human life span; and for his lover he was thankful, because Jack deserved the world and all the happiness and love he could find.

“Jack, what do you say when this is all over, we take some time for us. Just go somewhere quiet and not worry about the rest of the world.”

“I think I’d like that,” Jack replied with a smile.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

An hour later, the Doctor was sitting, moping, when he felt something deposited on his head. He reached up and felt it.

“My HAT!”

“Of course, I never said you wouldn’t get it back,” Tosh said with a roll of her eyes.

“You also didn’t say I _would_.”

“It was implied,” Tosh said absent-mindedly as she clicked buttons on her hand-held device. “Wave your right hand and then grab it with your left, please.”

“Why am I doing this?” the Doctor asked, even as he was already starting the actions.

Through the eye portal of the Teselecta the assembled group could see the Teselecta’s hands doing the same actions as the Doctor.

“Excellent motor control, established,” Tosh said, her eyes returning to her hand-held. “Now please say something, anything that comes to mind.”

“What did you do?” the Doctor’s question came in stereo as the Teselecta said what the Doctor said simultaneously.

“Excellent, vocal control also established; and turning off internal vocal audio, to prevent stereo effect,” Tosh said, ignoring the Doctor for the moment. “I put the electronic interface in the hat.”

The Doctor just stared at her for a moment before saying, “That’s brilliant, would you consider coming on a trip in the TARDIS?”

“No thank you, Doctor; I’d prefer not coming back and finding out a year had passed and all my hard work for world domination was destroyed,” Tosh said as she walked away.

“And that’s why I love that woman, she’s an evil mastermind,” he heard the doctor, Owen, saying.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They were prepared, now they just had to wait for everyone to arrive for everything to begin, or end.

It was in this quiet waiting that the Doctor found Jack staring contemplatively out of one of the eye portals.

“So, Ianto’s mother is my TARDIS, and you two are bonded?”

Jack turned to his old friend.

“We first became lovers off and on, mostly on, in 1920. Apparently, we bonded just a few years later. Not that he told me until 1945; we’ve been together full-time ever since,” he said with a warm smile.

“Would it be correct to assume he’s the reason you were able to go time-hopping to find me?”

Jack laughed.

“Well, yes, but not exactly the reason you think. He’s a fully grown human man, but as a TARDIS he’s still a child. He can’t move through time and space like that yet, he can move location in short distances, but not really at all through time yet. However, he can fix my vortex manipulator and use it to boost his abilities; it’s a bit of a hybrid form of travel,” he said, still smiling.

“He...he told me that he told you what happened on the station when you met.”

“Yeah, but I still wanted, _needed_ , to hear your reasons for leaving.”

“Jack, I told you before, but I want to say it again: I was wrong. What I said was wrong, and how I treated you during that time was wrong; what I did _both_ times was wrong.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that, especially now that I know what you’re talking about,” Jack finished with just a hint of a grin.

Jack turned to leave, presumably to check with the team.

“Jack,” the Doctor called, waiting for Jack to turn around, “I’m proud to call a great man like yourself my friend.”

The Doctor smiled widely and proudly as Jack smiled back, saying, “Me too.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

So far everything was going according to plan; they were able to operate the Teselecta perfectly, and Rory and Amy never even seemed to guess that it wasn’t physically the Doctor in front of them. River, as Jack and Ianto suspected, already knew what was happening.

Then the time came; through the eye portals they saw a younger River Song in a space suit try to fight the inevitable.

Then River did the unthinkable.

She broke Time.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ianto looked on as Owen examined his lover, who was all but plastered to the side of the TARDIS.

His Mother had extended her shielding around the bridge the moment River Song did the unthinkable, trying to stop a fixed point.

The shielding was protecting them from the majority of the effects of all of Time occurring at once and not moving. However, his lover was a fixed point himself; and the effects of being a fixed point when Time was broken were…unpleasant, to say the least. Almost immediately as Time became unstable Jack collapsed in pain, and that pain had only worsened the longer this continued. Now it had started to weaken him considerably, and make him sick; only the TARDIS was making it as bearable as it was. Ianto helped his lover as much as he could as well, but he just couldn’t do the same type of shielding that Mother could.

“I’m sorry, I wish this wasn’t happening to him,” the Doctor said sympathetically, coming up beside him.

Ianto looked at him before saying, “You couldn’t have known, and even if you could have, we both know stopping River Song is an impossible feat, even for the Doctor.”

“He doesn’t deserve this, though.”

“No, he doesn’t, but Jack out of all of us is better off here; he might very well have ceased to exist if he wasn’t here with Mother,” Ianto said grimly.

“I hate to ask now, but--” the Doctor paused, hesitant to offend…for once.

“Go ahead, Doctor, I think I know the question anyway.”

“When the TARDIS exploded, causing the Crack--you do know about that, right?”

Ianto smiled as he said, “Yes, Doctor, Mother told me about it. At least, what we know right now about it; I don’t know any more than you on why it happened. If the question is how all of that affected us, I can tell you,” Ianto paused, waiting for the Doctor’s nod. “Jack and I both have memories of that alternate time when the Pandorica was sealed and the stars were gone; for us, those memories are as broken and fractured as that timeline was.

“However, when the timeline righted itself, we experienced a flicker in our personal timeline--almost fading out, if you will--but it was only for a moment and then everything was back to normal. No one else but us had noticed.

“That...that doesn’t seem right. Without me existing there should have been no Torchwood, no any of you as you are.”

Ianto looked at the Doctor, as if staring into his soul.

“Doctor, have you heard me during our time here say that I’m sure Amy Pond is somewhere in this broken timeline doing something she deems important, possibly trying to find you even though she should not remember you?”

“Yes,” the Doctor said slowly.

“That is because Amelia Pond is a paradox; she had her daughter because her daughter pushed her parents together. But most of all, Amy Pod _remembered_ , and she _existed_ at all to get to the point of remembering.

“Doctor, you have saved the Earth and the Universe more times than I can count, and if you were never born we should all be enslaved or never have existed because the world was annihilated in some form, and, to be honest, annihilation is more likely. But we weren’t, Doctor, because Amy remembered, but she had to exist to remember, and she had to remember to exist. She is a paradox, and might very well continue to be one at times; but in that one moment she cemented herself in the Universe in a unique way, as unique as you, me, Mother, River, or Jack.”

“My Amy?” the Doctor asked, dumbfounded.

“You have a knack for finding extraordinary people, Doctor, and Amelia Pond, or Rory for that matter, is no exception.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the Doctor was contemplating what they had talked about, Ianto started walking towards Owen, who had looked at him seriously and was slowly making his ways towards Ianto.

“What is it?”

“It isn’t good; if all this shit wasn’t going on, I’d almost recommend giving him something to die in peace, and you know how I feel about that.”

Ianto nodded; while Owen did support ending a being’s suffering, he did not like extending that philosophy to Jack very often. Not because he wanted Jack to suffer, of course, but because Jack's extraordinary metabolism meant that he would recover under circumstances in which, for an ordinary human, it could be hopeless. Owen also believed it was a slippery slope with Jack; it could become so easy to just say, “Oh, kill him, and then he’ll be fine,” even in minor instances, and Owen was too good a doctor, and cared too much about Jack, to risk that.

“But this 'shit' is going on,” Ianto continued Owen’s line of thinking grimly.

“Yeah. Look, I’m no expert in all this topsy-turvy time stuff; that’s you, tea boy. But given how this is affecting him, I’m not sure he _would_ come back at all with all this going on.”

“You’re right,” Ianto replied somberly. “He likely wouldn’t come back.”

“Look, I’m trying to keep him as comfortable as I can, but…I don’t know how much longer he can hold out; it seems every time I look at him he’s gotten weaker and sicker.”

Ianto nodded as he said, “Thank you Owen, I’ll look after him for awhile.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After silently making his way over to his lover, Ianto knelt next to Jack.

Jack’s eyes were closed and he was curled in on himself, huddled with his side against the outside of the TARDIS with a blanket.

Gently, Ianto ran his hand through his lover’s hair.

Jack sighed.

“Ianto,” Jack moaned quietly.

“I’m here, Jack, I’m here.”

“I don’t feel good.”

“I know, love, I know,” Ianto said quietly, slowly seating himself behind Jack, never ceasing the gentle stroking of his Jack’s hair.

“Here, let’s see if we can make you more comfortable,” Ianto said as he gently moved his lover so Jack’s head was in his lap. He continued the steady stroking of the other man’s hair as he extended himself just a bit, adding what little shielding he could to his Mother’s protection of Jack.

“You know the Doctor and I both wish you didn’t have to go through this.”

“Probably better than the alternative,” Jack mumbled, burrowing his head into Ianto’s thigh.

“You’re probably right,” Ianto paused, thinking, before continuing, “Jack, you have to hold on, I know it’s hard but it’s more likely than not you wouldn’t come back if you died now.”

“I know, I’m not sure how I know, but I do. It’s almost funny, there was a time I’d give anything for an opportunity like this; and part of me still almost wants it. But that would mean leaving you, and I could never do that.”

Ianto leaned down to kissed Jack’s forehead when Jack paused.

“Besides, I know the plan, I know what I’m needed for; and only I can do it, or this whole thing would be for nothing.”

“Jack, about that; you know, weak as you are now, that…”

“That it will kill me,” Jack finished. “I know. But it needs to be done, and Time should be back on track, so I’ll come back to you; and if there’s one thing I’m not afraid of, it's to put my life on the line for the people I care about.”

As Jack finished he looked up at Ianto with weary, pain-filled eyes.

“You are such a brave, loving fool, and I wouldn’t have you any other way,” Ianto told his partner with a smile. “And I’m glad he’s finally acknowledging that loyalty again.”

Jack smiled at Ianto before burying his head again and saying, “Hold me for awhile?”

“Always, Jack, always.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ianto helped Jack stand, supporting most of his lover’s weight; helping Jack to his station.

The Doctor was about to kiss River Song and restore Time. But that meant everything was about to happen very _fast_.

As time resumed and River shot the Doctor, it was time for Jack’s part in this plan.

Jack stood on what appeared to be a platform with a set of handle bars. He grabbed the bars with all his strength and _pushed_.

He pushed the energy that gave him life, the glow of the vortex, of the Bad Wolf, out into the energy receivers. He pushed everything he had left, with all the strength he had left.

“Vortex energy being received; rerouting to the external of the Teselecta, simulating regeneration…NOW!” Tosh said. “Ceasing vocal and motor control through interface.”

“What? What are you doing?” the Doctor demanded.

Ianto looked at him sadly as he said, “A Teselecta can simulate many things, but one thing it can’t replicate is a Timelord’s regeneration. For this to be believable, it’s the only way.”

“But you’re _killing_ him!”

“I know,” Ianto said grimly, as Tosh and Owen shared similar depressed looks. “If this had worked as we originally thought, he would have been drained, but little more. But being in that broken timeline so long…”

Ianto trailed off moments before Tosh said, “Second fire from River Song, ceasing regeneration simulation.”

No sooner had she said that as Jack collapsed, Ianto, Owen, and the Doctor rushed to his side.

Owen rushed in, examining Jack, before sitting back.

“There’s nothing to do, it won’t be long,” he said, squeezing Jack’s shoulder, meeting the other man’s pain-filled eyes, Jack nodding in return.

“Why? Why do this?” the Doctor demanded.

Ianto waved him off; his complete attention was on his gasping lover, stroking Jack’s cheek. He could see and feel the exact moment Jack was gone, the pain finally over. Only then did he address the Doctor.

“This was his choice, it was always his choice. It was his idea before it all went out of control, and when we realized he was so weak it would kill him, he still chose to do this. He chose this for you, Doctor, to save you. For you to “die,” regeneration has to start, and this was the only way.”

Ianto looked up at the Doctor’s stunned expression before looking down at his lover’s still form again.

“It will take awhile for him to come back, but we have time before we can get out of here.”

Ianto looked back up at the Doctor, saying, “Do you understand now, Doctor? Do you understand, truly understand, what Jack will do for the people he cares about?”

The Doctor could only stare at the pair for a long moment, before kneeling next to Ianto and the still form of Jack.

“I told Jack I was glad to have a great man like him as my friend; but he’s so much more than a great man, and he is a far, far greater man than I, it seems. Should we all be so lucky to have someone half the man Captain Jack Harkness is in our lives, and to care about us.”

As he finished he grabbed Jack’s cooling hand, bringing it to his lips.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jack looked up from his mountain of paper work at his ringing mobile.

Amy Pond.

He smiled. Even if it wasn’t the wonderful Amy Pond, he’d still welcome the distraction. It being Amy just made it all the better.

“Amy! It’s been a few weeks, how are you and Rory?”

“We’re fine, all fine.”

There were several moments of silence before Jack asked, “Is something wrong?”

“No, River visited, she…she said the Doctor is alive.”

“Oh, did she?”

“You knew, didn’t you?”

Jack paused a moment before answering, “Yes, we did.”

“Does this mean we’ll still never see him? Because you came; you come when the adventure is over, right?”

Jack hesitated a moment.

“It usually is.”

He had barely finished before he could hear her trying to hold back tears.

“Amy, I can’t say if you’ll travel with him again, because I don’t know; and even if I did I couldn’t tell you, because that’s your timeline to live through. But what I do know is that there are times he does come back; it doesn’t always happen, but it does happen rarely.

“I know that if your time with him is over for good, you will do great things, and whether you see him again or not, the Doctor, his lessons, and your adventures with him will never leave you. Not where it counts; those things never leave any of us.

“I don’t know if you’ll see him again, but I know that you are a special, wonderful woman and your husband is a special, wonderful man, and the Doctor knows that, and I _believe_ that your time with him isn’t over--not yet, at least.

“Just keep growing and being brave and amazing, Amy Pond; and whether he comes back for you one day or not, you’ll find you’ve had adventures without him, and if he _does_ come back you can knock his bowtie off,” Jack finished with a warm smile.

Amy was quiet a moment before she said, “Is that how you did it?”

“I’ve tried to, at least; not sure I always succeeded, but I try.”

Another pause.

“Thank you, Jack; but somehow I think you’ve succeeded more than you think.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hours later the team and the Doctor stood on the moonlit deserted beach, everyone in a bit of awe that it was over and that the plan had worked.

They all stood in silence; after so long working together on this, parting seemed almost unimaginable.

“Another day, another victory,” Jack said, breaking the silence. “Then tomorrow we do it all over,” he said with a wink.

“Of course, we’re Torchwood,” Tosh said, Owen nodding next to her.

“Well, I’m not Torchwood, and that doesn’t sound that different than my day,” commented the Doctor, and then laughed, followed by his companions.

As the laughter died the Doctor said, “Well, I suppose I should be off, can’t have someone finding me and ruining all our hard work.”

Jack’s smiled dimmed as he said, “It was good seeing you again, Doctor; and talking.”

The Doctor nodded in response, saying, “Well, I’d offer to fix your vortex manipulator and make it so you could contact me, but it seems you already have one of those.”

The Doctor glanced over at Ianto.

Jack just held out his arm with his wrist strap and vortex manipulators and said, “I wouldn’t say no to having a way to tell you hello directly.”

The Doctor smiled, taking out his sonic screw driver and giving Jack a line to call him; it really was long overdue.

As he was finishing, Tosh and Owen stepped up to tell him goodbye.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, despite all the trouble that follows you, and you never show up to help us, and…OW!” Tosh’s elbow interrupted Owen’s 'goodbye.'

“What he means, Doctor, is it was nice to get to work with you on this. I’m glad to get to meet this 'new' you,” Tosh said with a warm smile as Owen rubbed his abused ribs.

The Doctor stared at her for a moment before yelling, “SPACE PIG! OF COURSE! How could I forget?”

The Torchwood team could only stare at him for several moments before Ianto broke the silence.

“Oh, for the love of…please don’t tell me you’ve been trying to figure that out this whole time and just _now_ figured it out!?”

“Well, it was a long time ago, and we didn’t meet very long.”

Jack just laughed as Ianto hung his head at the Doctor’s antics and Tosh and Owen were still dumbfounded.

As his laughter died down, Jack stepped forward, hand out to the Doctor.

“I guess this is goodbye for now, Doctor. It _really_ was good to work with you again.”

“Maybe we can do it again?” the Doctor asked, grabbing Jack’s out-stretched hand. “Seems with all the trouble you get up to maybe I should check in on you more often,” he finished nonchalantly.

Jack beamed as he said, “You’re more than welcome to visit any time you want.” After a moment’s thought he added, “But please give us warning so we can prepare for some variation of alien invasion.”

“Oh, you,” the Doctor said good-naturedly before pulling Jack into a hug and whispering in his ear, “Thank you for being my friend, Jack, and not giving up on me.”

Jack returned the hug silently, feeling so very happy.

As the Doctor released Jack, Ianto said with a warm smile, “Please don’t be a stranger; Mother says that now that we’ve met, she expects to be visiting more often.”

The Doctor nodded and started to walk back to the TARDIS, when Ianto called, “We’ll see you soon I’m sure, Doctor!”

“Oh?” he called back

Jack laughed as he answered, “You might not have got the invitation yet; time travel can be tricky, after all.”

“Isn’t it always,” the Doctor said with a grin as he started to wave. “I’ll see you soon, then, one way or another.”

Whether it’s a beginning or an end, one always follows another; always connected together.


End file.
